


Individual

by TheDrawingBoard



Series: His Own Answers [3]
Category: Gotham (TV)
Genre: Canon Divergent, M/M, Oswald's revenge, ambiguous ending, brief mention to the Freak Fam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-15
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-11-14 07:42:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11203494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDrawingBoard/pseuds/TheDrawingBoard
Summary: "I can be a member of a group, but can never blend in. What am I?"Oswald's finally caught up with Edward and has begun his improvised revenge. Ed's quick thinking is the only thing keeping him from falling victim once and for all, but Ed admitting his true feelings to Oswald could be the only thing that will keep him alive.





	Individual

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! Wow, about month after the last one, I finally finish this one? Sorry! Had to deal with finals and a convention and then the finale really screwed me up for a bit, but I'm back now! Hope you all enjoy the conclusion of His Own Answers. May post the alternate ending or an epilogue if wanted.
> 
> Oswald dialogue edited by originalcontent (love her Oswald. Honestly one of the best)

“How are you… W-What are you… I killed you!” Edward Nygma sputtered in complete disbelief until settling on stating the obvious. Never a good sign for him. His green eyes searched the now smirking expression pressed on the bird-like man’s face. All of that work, everything he did to exact his revenge- even all the work he did afterward to never need him again and forget-  
Actually. He never forgot him. He never could. He was the friend he never believed he deserved until it was too late, the sculptor of his newfound confidence, the springboard which the Riddler used to finally become real and thrive. Edward could never forget that. Forgiving was a different story. He-

That’s right. He’s had dreams like this. Dreams of Oswald walking into his bedroom and killing him in the middle of the night, causing him to jolt awake in fear and paranoia, each shadow in his room becoming the hiding place for the piercing eyes of the Penguin. Dreams of Oswald walking into his bedroom and curling up under the covers next to him, causing him to jolt awake in utter confusion and the sharp pangs of loneliness that not even he could understand.

Ed’s confusion and frustration only made Oswald’s smirk grow into an unnerving chuckle. “You almost did, didn’t you?” he mused, walking up to the still strapped down Edward, “But you killing me gave me something to live for.”

“But I… I shot you,” Ed couldn’t believe it. He wanted to touch him, hit him, kill him again, something that could prove this was just a cruel sick joke his mind was playing on him. But the Riddler was nowhere to be found, only confirming that the joke gone wrong was more than that. Oswald always made him quieter than usual- always had, always will.

He was right above him now, the shorter towering over him. Ed began to struggle, the sudden jolt of adrenaline hitting him. The fight or flight hardwiring of a human being kicking in, like the last stand of a trapped animal. 

Oswald was alive, so of course Oswald was going to kill him.

“Yes. You did shoot me. And yet, here I am!” Oswald laughed again before his expression melted into a frown, causing him to grab Ed’s shirt suddenly and bring the gun right under his chin, “Desperation. A sour taste, is it not? Ed? Because even you know I wouldn't leave any strap loose with you here.” The words brought the trapped to a halt, his attempts becoming obviously in vain. Ed’s breath quickened, panic settling in. No. No, he couldn’t panic now. He had to find a way out of this. But the look in Oswald’s eyes was… different. Ruthless. Unwavering. It made him feel… honestly very frightened. 

This was put on the back burner, however, to the growing rage settling in Ed’s chest. “So, is that how this is?” he spat venomously, “You tracked me down? Got in touch with Barbara, Butch, and Tabitha? I bet they were ecstatic to hear your voice again. How did you even convince them to help you? Surely you didn't achieve this by yourself, right?” Maybe it was foolish to poke the furious bear, but Edward wanted to stab it with a cattle prod.

There was that laugh again. Oswald was laughing at him, as if he had said something funny. He leaned his empty hand on the edge of the medical cot, unable to contain his laughter. Frowning, Ed struggled against the restraints once again, if only to get the other’s attention back.

“What? What’s so funny?” he demanded, frowning deeply at him.

After a moment, the laughter petered out as Oswald looked right into Ed’s eyes. There was that look again. This time it almost looked… hungry. “You are!” he announced, a laugh still present but not completely overtaking his voice. Sarcasm and condescendence were there too, “You want to know how I found you?” he leaned close, right into Ed’s face, “I didn’t. You happened to come to the one place I could think of to go.”

As Oswald took a step back from him, Edward’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You found me...” he began slowly, coming to terms with the situation, “Because of chance…?”

“Chance, fate, however you want to describe it. I like to say it was luck.”

Luck was as cruel as time.

“And Tabitha?”

Oswald scoffed, his tone becoming more condescending by the second, “Yet another moment of luck. She didn’t expect to see anyone else there, so when she was busy with you, I was able to take hold of the opportunity that had fallen into my lap.” 

Ed couldn’t believe it. He laid there, mouth agape slightly, completely stunned. “You mean to tell me,” he began again, his eyes not leaving the familiar face of his captor, “That everything that has happened to me so far was l-luck?” He felt his voice crack on the last word. And to think. The mighty Riddler taken down by something as juvenile as luck. Not even a carefully thought out plan, or a mess of plans that one happened to stick. 

Just luck.

“Yep!” he laughed once more, shrugging as he admitted it before raising his gun once again at the helplessly strapped down Edward, “It was like the universe was trying to restore balance in Gotham.”

As the initial shock and denial began to dissipate and wear off, the whole situation left Ed suddenly increasingly irritated. Staring down the barrel of the gun a mere few inches away from his face, his gaze slipped up to Oswald. His entire body language felt unstable, as if this was never even a part of his plan. As if he was reaching the limit of how much he could improvise. Ed could use this. With a smirk, he leaned his head forward in a challenge, “Then what are you waiting for? Kill me.”

This startled Oswald, his eyes widening a bit in sudden fear. He adjusted his grip on his gun, however it couldn’t hide the fact he had begun to shake suddenly.

“Kill me!” Ed challenged again.

“Shut up!” Oswald shot back, shoving the gun closer, almost touching Ed’s forehead at this point, “I’m trying to think.”

Something about seeing Oswald in that moment struck a chord with Ed. Ever since the man had walked into the room, Ed was so fixated on how this could have happened that he never had a moment to even consider how he felt about it. Now that he had this precious moment of self reflection, it came to his attention that a part of him was actually relieved. There was a part that was glad the Penguin was standing in front of him, despite the well-deserved gun in his face. Oswald was right. Killing him did change him. It never made him any happier, just more determined to prove himself.

He’d never admit it, though- or so he thought.

The conversation he was just having with the Riddler echoed throughout his mind once again. He did want to see Oswald again. He was lonely. He was lost. Yet here he was, standing right before him, alive- furious and slightly unhinged, but alive. He could try again- they could try again. Maybe he could-

No. This train of thought was idiotic. Even if he really did want to start again, did Oswald?  
A boat horn cut through the silence.

Oswald looked towards the door in the direction of the bellowing call. By the time Oswald turned back to Ed, a twisted smile was spread across his face.

“I have a great idea,” he announced, his voice excited and light all of a sudden. That made Ed’s heart drop to his stomach. Quickly unstrapping Ed from the medical cot’s restraints, he motioned with his gun for Ed to stand up and move towards the door, out of the building. He complied. Taking one step out of the warehouse, icy, damp wind blasted into his face, a refreshing contrast to the stuffy, humid surroundings from inside the building. It was snowing, each snowflake an individual from the other. Maybe he could use this. He slowed for a second to look back at Oswald, but all he was greeted with was a cold, closed off look and a gun shoved into his back.  
It took Ed a moment to realize where he was, however once he did, he let out a gasp.

“That’s right, Ed!”

They were at the dock. The dock. Panic set in once again. He knew what Oswald was doing. He was going to dispose of him the same way he tried to do to him. The ultimate revenge: win the war by taking over the place the enemy won the battle. He began to turn around, but the gun in his shoulder blade wouldn't allow him to turn until he was right at the edge. He turned around the moment he had the chance.

“Oswald, don't do this,” Edward shot out quickly, pleading filling his eyes to counter Oswald’s gaze full of rage-induced hatred. There was something else there- there had to be. Some glimmer of hope for Ed, some left over feelings for how things used to be. He reached towards him, only to be swatted away the moment he tried.

He had the strangest sense of deja vu, except he saw himself standing in front of him, and Oswald where he was. It hit him then.

“Look,” he began again, standing a bit straighter and staring Oswald down, much to the shorter’s surprise, “I-I'm going to tell you something, and once I’m finished, you can decide whether or not you still want to kill me.”

“Edward,” he scoffed, “I don't think you can beg for your life at-”

“Just hear me out,” Ed cut him off harshly, causing Oswald to gain a look of annoyance and probably a happier trigger finger on the gun still pointed right at his gut, but it got him silence nonetheless.

He had to tell him.

“I-I've realized,” he began shakily before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath to begin again, “I've come to realize that our time together was when we were at our bests. I had something that could keep my ever chaotic mind at bay, and you had everything you ever wanted. Not to mention the work we did for the city and-”

“Just get to the point!”

“Right,” Ed breathed before bringing his hands together in front of his mouth, “The point.” Lowering them, he looked directly into the bright blue eyes he's come to love. “The point is that I want to go back to that- I think we still can.”

Oswald didn't seem convinced. Ed knew he couldn't beat around the bush.

“I've been a mess without you,” he admitted, letting out a breath as he did, “I've missed you- I've missed us. I've forced myself to realize that…” Ed stopped. He couldn't. He could barely admit it to himself- the Riddler- let alone Oswald himself.

“You what, Ed? You realized that nothing can save you from my revenge?” The shorter tore his gaze from Ed’s and looked to his stomach as Ed heard Oswald cock the gun, “Goodbye-”  


“I realized that I love you.”

Oswald stopped, looking up from his target to Ed’s expression, most likely seeing if he was lying or if he had heard him right. The silence was unbearable, so Ed did the one thing he could ever think of to do in uncomfortable situations: keep talking.

“I've come to realize that I loved you, that even after meeting Isabella I could have still loved you, and that I love you now. Even after everything, some sick and twisted part of me still loves you. I still want to be with you.”

Silence. Oswald looked down at the dock beneath them to the water behind them. Seagulls squawked nearby. Another boat horn cut through the silence, returning Oswald to reality. He looked up at Ed, saying his words carefully.

“Goodbye, Ed.”

The shot was deafening. For a moment, Ed’s ears hurt more than the entry point right in his gut- right in the place he shot Oswald. As he locked eyes in shock with him, Ed could see the smallest inkling of regret in his gaze, but his long, slender fingers still gripped the front of his suit shirt and tie to condemn him to the murky, swirling waters below. 

That felt like the end for Oswald. Without a word, he turned and began heading towards the last place he called a home where he'd ignore Ivy’s attempts at comfort, Victor’s silent reaches of understanding, and Bridgit’s need to know everything that happened. He'd sit in solitude and wonder just how things ended up like this.

But who's to say things ended there? Because the same waters that saved Oswald could very well save Edward as well. Even without thinking about it for more than a second, Oswald knew a part of him hoped to see Ed again someday, somehow.


End file.
